Mobile partition walls are generally known for dividing a room into separate spaces or configurations as desired. Separate wall elements or panels hang from a support track, which is mounted on the ceiling of the room. Each panel is slidable along the support track to be moved into a deployed partition position or to be moved into a storage position in which the separate wall elements are stacked together into a small space.
In order to insure that the separate wall elements are easily slidable along the support track, it is necessary to provide clearance gaps between the lower edge of the wall element and the floor and between the upper edge of the wall element and the ceiling. Because noise easily passes through the clearance gaps, typical mobile partition walls have the disadvantage of an unsatisfactory noise insulation or sound damping. Furthermore, air drafts, smoke, food odors, light, etc. also pass through the clearance gaps.
As a further disadvantage, the prior art wall elements are not very stable when they are merely hanging from the ceiling-mounted support rail. For this reason, a floor track or floor groove is typically provided to guide and support the lower edge of each wall element as it is pushed along the guide track and also to provide the necessary vertical stability for each wall element in its final deployed position.
As an attempt to reduce or avoid the above described disadvantages, it is already known to provide seal members such as seal bars for the separate wall elements, wherein the seal bars are mechanically pressed and clamped into the seal position. In such a mechanical arrangement, it is inconvenient and complicated to engage and disengage the mechanically activated seal bars, especially when the partition wall is frequently deployed and stored or reconfigured.